Anthony Kiedis has provided an update on his health after Red Hot Chili Peppers were forced to cancel their performance last-minute at KROQ’s Weenie Roast on May 14th as the singer was hospitalized with intestinal flu. “It was a painful and sad thing to have to cancel shows, we don’t really do that,” Kiedis told ET Canada. “I’d rather play deathly ill than not at all but in this particular instance I was starting to go down to the ground.”

“I had inflammation in my guts,” Kiedis added of his condition. “That becomes an incredibly painful situation where you get a fever and pass out.” The singer also admitted that he’s feeling “good, not great, but good” since the hospitalization. “Lo and behold, I’m on the mend,” he said.

Kiedis’ health scare also caused the postponement of the Chili Peppers’ May 17th gig in Burbank, California. However, Kiedis views the hospitalization as perhaps a blessing in disguise, as it forced him to open his eyes regarding his “overall health.” “I think I had to get sick to take a look at myself and get to the causes and conditions of my overall health. So it turned out to be a good thing, albeit painful,” he said.

Although the singer says he maintains an active, healthy lifestyle, the intestinal flu made him realize that, at the age of 53, he might be pushing himself too hard. “I surf most days and I like to charge, but every now and then, the body is like ‘you’re doing something wrong, either fix it or we’re gonna let you know about it’, and I think that my body let me know that I had to change my ways a little bit,” he said.

Kiedis was also surprised that so much media attention was paid to his illness and brief hospitalization. “I think it was a slow news day,” he said. “When I opened my phone and saw I was in the news, I was like ‘Everything must be okay in the world today if that’s what’s making the news.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers are scheduled to return to the stage Sunday night to close out Columbus, Ohio’s Rock on the Range fest.

Red Hot Chili Peppers were forced to cancel their Saturday performance at the annual KROQ Weenie Roast after Anthony Kiedis was hospitalized.